Aspiring Towards Resilience
by BlissfulGP
Summary: Marik, overcome by grief from the death of his adopted brother, Odion, soon loses his body to his darker half. Who will help him to gain it back? Or more importantly, WILL anyone help him? Rated T because... Shut Up. Future romance and something else I don't know yet; you decide the second genre if it's so important. Give me feedback, if you would be so kind, please and thank you.
1. Possessed

Chapter One

"It's not fair, Odion!" A young male with blonde hair and tanned skin yelled furiously from atop his bedding. "Why couldn't Father just consent to you being Tomb Keeper in my place?" The boy was close to tears now that his anger and desperation had reached its peak.

In response, the older boy known as Odion did nothing but stand before the boy. His head was bent forward; face contorted in shame and regret with nothing but bandages to hide it. The younger boy, blinded by his emotions, did not even remotely notice them on the elder's face.

"Better yet, why didn't you save me…" The young boy almost inaudibly added as an afterthought, not expecting an answer to present itself in the least.

"Master Marik, please try to understand. Your father-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" The boy now known as Marik yelled. His eyes squeezed tight, hiding their unusual color of lavender, as he gasped in pain from the effort.

"Master Marik, are you alright?" Odion took a step forward in genuine concern before he was halted by a soft yet angered voice.

"Get out, Odion."

"But Master-"

"I said get out! Leave me alone!" He yelled yet again, instantly regretting it as his back screamed in agony at him. He was forced into lying completely still yet again, not even letting another word escape his mouth lest it cause him more pain.

Without a sound, the older boy regrettably left his ward alone, but not before glancing back and whispering a heartfelt apology by the door.

Once he was finally alone in the increasingly small confines of his room, Marik finally allowed his anguish release. They appeared in the form of large, salty tears and gasping breaths of air. He felt anger, fear, desperation and, above all, betrayal.

He felt betrayed by Odion for the older boy had told him that he would go in Marik's stead; that Odion would protect him. Yet here he was, bed ridden because Odion had not been able to undergo the Tomb Keeper's Initia tion afterall.

How could Odion, the person he trusted most in the world, let his father do something so cruel to him? Now he would have to serve as Tomb Keeper for the rest of his Ra forsaken life and there was nothing he could do about it. Even if Marik did find a way to escape from the tomb, he would still bare the marks engraved in his back until his dying day.

Deep down inside, Marik knew it truly wasn't Odion's fault for his misfortune but he couldn't help but want to blame someone else. Odion had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He knew that, if anything, the Pharoah was at fault and would wanted revenge; no, he would get revenge.

•••

Almost a week had passed and Marik's back had finally healed enough for him to stand for prolonged periods of time. He was ecstatic to finally leave the stuffy confines of his room and venture into the rest of the tomb.

Although he definitely hated being stuck underground, it was definitely an improvement. Besides, now that he was well enough to move about he could put his plans into motion.

Staying cooped up in a room with little to no company for a week had definitely given Marik a lot of time to think and plan on escaping this retched tomb for good. Unfortunately for him, he had to wait until his father went to sleep.

"Marik." The door slowly swung open to reveal his elder sister, Ishizu.

"Sister." He acknowledged, turning to face her.

"Do you really think you should be up just yet?" She glanced over him. "You're still recovering."

"I've never been better!" He grinned hopefully at her, willing her to overlook his early departure from bed.

She frowned slightly at him but ended up conceding in the end, thinking he deserved to stretch his limbs for at least a little while.

Ishizu had taken upon the duties of bringing Marik his daily meals and checking up on from time to time in case he needed to relieve himself or wanted some extra company. For this, Marik was grateful. If not for her he may have driven himself to the brink of insanity, especially since he had not seen Odion after that fateful night.

"Sister…" He hesitated for a moment, a frown settling upon his features. "Where's Odion?"

A thick silence ensued, engulfing the room in a terse tenseness that Marik was not fond of. It made him believe that something horrible may have happened to his beloved, adopted brother.

"Ishizu, what happened to Odion?" He demanded more urgently, walking closer to her.

"He's no longer with us, Marik." She lowered her head sadly; heartbroken that she had to break the news to her fragile little brother.

"W-what?" He stood stock still, afraid that he hadn't heard of wrong and yet hoping that he had. Unfortunately for him Ishizu kept her head down, unwilling to look into his fearful eyes.

Marik felt as if the walls were closing in on him, faster than they ever had before. His body began to sway as the walls spun around him, rendering him dizzy and incapable of standing on his own two feet.

"_No! I have to stay strong and get Ishzu to tell me what happened to him. I have to know, __**I just have to!**__" _He shouted in his head, somehow forcing his mind to clear and steady himself so he wouldn't collapse.

"I-Ishizu, what happened to him?" He forced out again, almost hesitant to learn the truth but knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he did.

One lone word escaped from her lips and he instantly knew what happened. _"Father." _Odion was no longer in the world of the living.

Marik was in utter shock, the room began spinning tenfold until, finally, his brain shut down on him; his body collapsing with a resounding thud to the ground. The last thing he could remember hearing was Ishizu yelling out to him in alarm, "Marik!"

̉•••

When Marik finally became conscious, all was silent, telling him it was more than likely after dusk. This was confirmed by the darkened room, lit only by a nearly burned out candle in the far corner. For a moment he just sat there, dazed, until his memories returned to him on how he ended up in bed.

These memories brought silent tears of sorrow with them which immediately began to roll down his tanned cheeks. The shock rendered his body a statue incapable of outright sobbing for the death of his dear brother, Odion. Marik didn't how long he sat there like that before anger finally took over him; an anger so fierce he felt as if for a moment he was _possessed._

Soon that anger brought him to the brink of insanity. Bent over and clutching at his suddenly throbbing head as it seemed to tear him apart from the inside out, Marik gasped in growing agony. A pain so similar yet not quite like the pain his back had endured from the initiation tore through his being as if he were being ripped from it. Along with this peculiarly, inexplicable burst of pain, Marik's hair seemed to have grown a mind of its own. As if electrocuted, his hair began to stand stock straight upon his head as if to signal his torture was soon to be over.

Now that the pain finished assaulting the boy's mind, he lowered his hands back to his sides and stood up straight. He glanced around as if to gather his bearings before a grin spread across his face before maniacal laughter bubbled up from inside of him; booming waves of hysteria rolling off in waves from his very being. It was as if he had turned into a completely different person.

Still grinning wildly as if a friend were telling him a crude joke, "Marik" silently left his bed chambers and headed down the hall of the tomb before coming to a stop outside of his father's room. Uncharacteristically fearless, he pushed open the door to find his father bent over a desk looking at what appeared to be documents of some kind.

Noticing the disturbance, the elder turned towards his "son" with a darkening scowl.

"Marik, what do you think you doing in here?" The man thundered at him, enraged at just the sight of the boy.

"Aren't you happy to see me father?" "Marik's" grin seemed to grow impossibly bigger as his spread his arms out, bearing himself to the old man.

The old man stood up, a whip magically appearing in his hands, before raising his choice of weapon in the hopes of using it against his "child". He glowered menacingly at the boy, immediately noticing that it held no effect, before shipping the boy.

The resounding crack never came, instead a maniacal laughter once again pierced through the silent night. When the man took a closer look, he noticed that the boy had caught the whip around his wrist and held it tight.

"You fool!" "Marik" bellowed. "Do you honestly think I would go down that easily? You'll have to do better than that!" He pointed accusingly at the elder.

For the first time since "Marik" had entered his chambers, the old man realized that the boy's voice was of a more demented and sinister sound than before. It oozed with the evil his young body had only managed to keep locked away with the help of Odion. But now that the older boy was out of the way, the evil "being" inside of Marik has been able to escape and roam free; able to torment the world and its populace as he saw fit.

"What have you done with my son?" The elder called out, superstition donning upon him; thinking that an evil spirit of some sort had stolen the soul of his heir. In a way, the man was correct.

All he received in reply was a sharp weapon slicing through his small intestines repeatedly as the imposter inhabiting his son's body continued to laugh ecstatically. It was as if feeble feeling of resistance from the old man's skin in an attempt to block "Marik's" weapon from piercing his innards while experiencing the warm blood splatter upon his face and arms made him feel alive. In fact it was; "Marik" _is_ alive!

As a final thought the old man, by somehow forcing his brain to work around the excruciating pain his body was currently experiencing, wondered, _"How did he get the Millenium Rod in his possession? I never… Even saw h-him move…" No soon did this thought end did the old man gasp out a last shuttering breath, his eyes eternally a petrified reflection of shock._

The last thing the tomb saw of "Marik" was his retreating back. His off-white, blood stained garb swirling haughtily around his small, bare ankles. The sound of footsteps padding on the tomb's hard floors bounced around the walls, echoing ever so slightly.


	2. Break Through

Chapter Two

Six Years Later, Domino City

The bustling city moved blissfully around the white haired teen that was beginning to grow increasingly annoyed from having to listen to his companions. He figured it wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't constantly bickering and throwing around friendship speeches like spare change. The worst part is that he couldn't tell them to, _"Shut the bloody hell up before I send you all to the Shadow Realm to suffer for all eternity!"_

Why couldn't he do this, you ask? It was simple. This white haired boy was still pretending to be his infuriating host. The same host whose personality was the exact opposite of his, making it so he had to concentrate most of his energy into restraining himself for blowing his cover.

"Hey, Bakura! What's the holdup?" A tall blonde called out to the white haired boy, turning his body to get a better look at him.

"Wha- Oh!" The boy now known as Bakura jumped to attention, his hand rubbing the back of his head in mock nervousness. "Sorry Joey, it appears I became a bit distracted." He offered a meek smile.

"It's alright, little buddy." Joey smiled a toothy smile at him.

The group of teenagers began their trek again, heading towards the local dock to meet with Yugi's grandfather's old friend. The youth's grandfather had requested them to show his friend, Mr. Hawkins, around while he finished tidying up the Game Shop. One thing that eluded Bakura was why he had to tag along. The last he had checked, his host and Yugi weren't what you called close friends.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Bakura looked around him. They had finally arrived at the dock and were now scanning the crowd in hopes of finding the newly departed archaeologist. So far, their efforts were in vain.

"ARGH! There's just too many people here!" Joey exclaimed, mussing up his hair in frustration.

"Don't worry, Joey. We're sure to find him soon." Yugi said optimistically.

"I hope you're right, Yug. Otherwise we're going to be here all day."

"Hey guys, I have an idea!" The only female in their little group exclaimed.

"What is it, Tea?" Yugi asked curiously.

"How about we all split up?" She suggested. "It should make things go faster."

"Alright guys, let's go!" Joey exclaimed before running off, eagerly wanting to end this so he could go play a card game with Yugi in the false hope of beating him. The group soon followed suit, agreeing they would meet there in a half hour.

Bakura headed towards the ships, figuring the old man couldn't have wandered too far away from them. Not that Bakura had any intentions of helping his enemy; he just had nothing better to do currently.

A sudden gust of wind blew through his hair, causing him to turn his head to keep it out of his face. The first thing he noticed when he turned around was an Egyptian boy with blonde hair standing straight upon his head, as if it were telling gravity to screw itself. The second thing Bakura noticed was that his Millenium Ring had begun to point in the Egyptian's direction, urging him to go forward. Grinning to himself, Bakura began an even pace towards the other. He had finally found some entertainment.

Having a hard time parting through the crowd, unlike the Egyptian, Bakura soon lost track of him. He would have kept searching for him but his Millenium Ring had stopped directing him as well. Growling in frustration, he turned back the way he came.

"Marik" looked around, his usual grin gracing his features as he gazed around at all of the people he could torment before sending them to the Shadow Realm. That would have to wait though.

Oblivious to the approaching white haired boy, "Marik" began parting the crowd before him. He figured a hotel was in order to catch up on some sleep. Said hotel was easy enough to spot seeing as it loomed proudly across the street from the dock, promising travelers of a comfortable rest.

The building was a homely orange brick, standing at least seven stories tall. Both the interior and exterior were well taken care of which easily attracted customers.

After blatantly threatening the receptionist and finding himself a room, "Marik" relaxed upon the bed and settled down for a nap.

Marik groggily sat up, opening his eyes to an unfamiliar room. He sat there for a moment or two in a daze, attempting to remember how he got there. Suddenly it dawned on him that he could absolutely not remember, causing him to shoot off the bed and to his feet in alarm.

Cautiously, Marik crept over to the door in hope of escaping the room in case he was being held captive. As he was about to open the door he noticed movement from the left of. Jerking towards the left, Marik stood in shock. What came to meet his eyes was himself, standing in front of a mirror. What left him in a shock was his appearance.

Lavender eyes, wide with shock, glanced suspiciously over his body. His hair was still the same shoulder length blonde, albeit a little unruly from having slept on it. His skin was still tanned from having lived in Egypt. What was different was his clothing and, even more shocking, his height.

He was clothed in a long, dark purple cape that draped over his shoulders, hiding the collar of his black shirt. On his legs were sand colored pants, held up by a simple black belt and upon his feet were a pair of black boots. If he had been the same height as he was before he had fallen asleep, there was no doubt that these clothes would be hanging dangerously on him.

"W-what happened to me?" He whispered to himself, voice almost lost upon him, before finally gathering it and screaming before running out of the room. He continued to run down the hall as if demons were hot on his heel, almost running into other occupants. He refused to stop and apologize out of fear; instead he kept asking himself as if in a mantra, _"Where am I? How did I get here?"_

Bakura had returned to the meeting spot and was immediately greeted by the rest of the teens he had arrived there with. Yugi had found the archaeologist and suggested we check him into his hotel before showing him around. The old man had agreed, grateful to relieve himself of his luggage.

As they made their way to the hotel, Bakura couldn't help but scan the crowd in hope of locating the blonde male he had seen earlier. He was soon disappointed when they had arrived at the hotel and had seen neither hide nor hair of the boy. Sighing internally to himself, he donned the personality of his host and politely opened the door for his _"friends."_

"Thank you, young man." The archaeologist smiled warmly at him.

"Of course, Mr. Hawkins." Bakura smiled sweetly at him. The rest of the group followed suit, all just receiving a small smile for their "thanks."

Once inside, Bakura went to sit in one of the lounge chairs as he waited for his companions to finish their business. He hadn't sat long before he heard a disturbance amongst the other guests. Turning his head, Bakura looked towards the noise with a calculating look, not knowing what was happening.

Disgruntled and slightly annoyed voices reached his keen ears, voicing complaints such as, "Hey, watch where you're going kid!" and, "Didn't your mother teach you better matters than that?" He never heard any response to them though. He had almost turned around, suddenly not caring what was happening, that was until he caught sight of the "kid" causing the commotion.

His eyes landed upon the Egyptian from before. The only difference was his hair. Instead of defying gravity, he lay gracefully upon his shoulders just slightly mussed as if he had slept on it.

Excitement overcoming him, Bakura stood up with a grin spreading across his face, no longer caring if the friendship group were nearby or not.


	3. Shadow Game

Chapter Three

Marik had run through the halls and down the stairs until, finally, he arrived in the lobby. A surge of hope and adrenaline pumped through his being at the thought of being free, his legs seemingly working harder than before to bring him towards freedom. That was until a body stepped in front him, causing the both of them to be knocked towards the floor. A surprised gasp escaped from his throat.

Looking up with wide, frightened eyes he gazed upon who he had run into. It was a boy with fluffy, white hair with his eyes still closed from the impact. The boy was wearing a blue and white striped shirt with a blue over shirt hanging on his shoulders. On his legs were loose fitting, grey jeans that slightly overlapped his blue and white shoes. As Marik continued looking over the boy, momentarily forgetting that he was fleeing from something, he noticed that the other's eyes had finally opened. They revealed a pair of intense, brown eyes that seemed to be glancing over him as if in search of something specific.

"I-I'm sorry." He said for the first time since running into someone that day, standing up to offer his hand to the other boy. Said boy easily brushed him off and stood on his own, glaring at him for some reason Marik couldn't piece together. "Are you alright?" Instead of answering, the white haired boy asked a question of his own.

"Where's the Millenium item?" He demanded, his glare sharpened accusingly at him.

"Millenium item?" Marik thought for a moment. _"Did he mean the Millenium Rod?"_ He frowned to himself, confused. _"I don't have the Millenium Rod. Father didn't even like it when I looked at it, let alone touch it…"_ At the thought of his father Marik physically flinched, remembering the Tomb Keeper's Initiation he had been forced through.

"Yes, where the bloody hell is it?" The boy rudely prodded.

"I-I don't have it."

"Do not lie to me. My Millenium Ring directed me towards you earlier when you were leaving the docks."

Marik was confused. He didn't remember being a dock, whatever that was. He was still unfamiliar with the world of the surface dwellers, heck; he didn't even remember leaving the tomb. Thinking of tomb, where was Ishizu and Odio-? He suddenly remembered that Odion was no longer alive. His chest began to tighten painfully, tears threatening to obscure his vision. Opening his mouth, he shakily inhaled some air in hope of calming himself; unwilling to break down in front of this beautiful stranger. Wait "beautiful?" Oh well, that's not important right now.

"Well?" The other boy pierced through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality for the moment.

Marik was about to respond to him when suddenly his head began to feel as if it were splitting in half. He vaguely remembered a feeling like this before he lost consciousness in his room. With a shout he clutched desperately at his head, hoping to rid himself of the pain which seemed to be trying to force him from his own body. He imagined he could feel his hair becoming thicker as if they were trying to pry his hands from his head, conspiring with the pain to remove him from the world of the living.

Bakura had completely rid himself of his host's personality, impatiently waiting for the Egyptian's cooperation when suddenly he heard the other boy scream. Stepping back in shock, Bakura could only watch as the boy appeared to wrestle physically and mentally with himself.

Slowly yet surely, the Egyptians hair began to stand of its own accord into the spike in which Bakura had seen earlier on the docks. When the hair finished spiking Bakura noted, with amusement, that the other boy had been able to pull himself together and stand up straight. What unnerved him was when he looked into the other's lavender eyes. They held a harsh light of amusement that seemed to give the unspoken promise of pain.

"That has never happened before." The other boy mused to himself, seemingly ignoring Bakura. "I will have to keep a tighter leash on him…"

Curiously, there seemed to be a change in the Egyptian's voice. It had taken on a deeper tone, something darker and unexpected. It almost didn't suit the boy, at least it normally wouldn't from what he could tell.

Turning his attention back to Bakura, the Egyptian held his gaze thoughtfully, not threatened in the least by his glare. For some reason that irked Bakura when usually he couldn't care less if someone was intimidated by him or not for they would receive their one way ticked to the Shadow Realm sooner or later. Yet this "boy" rubbed him the wrong way, whether it was from somehow acquiring a different personality in the last minute or not was beyond him. He shrugged it off.

"I'll ask you one last time, where _is_ the Millenium item?" He pointed at the other, gaze narrowing as the other grinned at him.

"What makes you think I'd hand over my Rod so easily?" The Egyptian began to laugh at him, finding Bakura's scowl funny.

"It's not a matter of handing it over _willingly_; it's a matter of me taking it _forcefully_." Bakura stated firmly, his arms crossing menacingly. "Now where is it?"

Instead of receiving an answer, the Egyptian laughed maniacally at him. When he finished he held his arms out wide, a dark purple fog rippling out around them. Bakura knew immediately that this fog indicated he had entered into a shadow game. As it continued to close in around them he noticed the Millenium Rod materialize in the Egyptian's outstretched palm that immediately circled around the staff of it.

"Let's play a shadow game for it. If I win…" The blonde pondered mockingly, pretending he didn't already know what he wanted. "I get your Millenium ring, and if you win-"

"If I win, I get your Millenium Rod."

"Agreed." The Egyptian grinned maliciously, clearly enjoying the other's reactions. "Now, tell me your name."

"My name is of no importance to you in the Shadow Realm." Bakura smirked confidently at him.

"If you're so sure then why not tell me it anyways? I am known as Mariku, although… Those who knew my host still tend to call me Marik Ishtar."

_"His host…? He's just like me then."_ Bakura smirked to himself, realization finally dawning on him before replying with, "Very well. My name is Bakura."

"Let the Shadow Game begin!" The both called out seemingly in unison, both adorning the same confident smirk.

**Author's Note- Let me know what you think of this chapter. I am curious on your opinions. As a direct question, what do you guy's think I should do for the Shadow Game? A quick, speedy type thing that doesn't really delve into the game? Or something long and lasting that goes into detail? Or should I just skip over it completely and show you the after math? This is completely up to you guys, so let me know what you think! The faster I get a response, the faster I post the next chapter as well so if you're really into this story I suggest you give your two cents!**


	4. Duel

_"Let the Shadow Game begin!" The both called out seemingly in unison, both adorning the same confident smirk._

Both opponents shuffled their decks before drawing the customary five cards, confidence radiating in waves from their bodies.

"I'll go first." Bakura stated, drawing another card. "I place 'The Portrait's Secret' in attack mode then end my turn."

The Portrait's Secret (1200ATK, 1500DEF)

Mariku grinned and drew another card, already aware that the other was planning something. He decided to humor him for a bit.

"I summon 'Gil Garth' in attack mode, striking down your 'Portrait's Secret' with ease!"

Gil Garth (1800ATK, 1200DEF)

'Gil Garth' swung its metal arm, slashing the sword it was holding through the center of 'Portrait's Secret'. "I place one card face down before ending my turn." Mariku smirked internally, eager to see how well Bakura would do against him.

[**Field Overview:**

Bakura- No monsters. 1400LP.

Mariku- One monster: Gil Garth; Attack mode (1800ATK, 1200DEF). One face-down card. 2000LP.]

Bakura smirked to himself, unaware that Mariku knew what he was up to. "You may have destroyed one of my monsters, but we're not through yet!" He continued his draw phase and then sent another card to the field. "I summon 'The Gross Ghost of the Fled Dreams' in attack mode! Let's see how you fare against him, Mariku."

The Gross Ghost of the Fled Dreams (1300ATK, 1800DEF)

"You seemed to have failed to realize that my 'Gil Garth' has a higher attack power than your Gross Ghost." Mariku strung him along, arms folded against his chest in amusement. Drawing his card, Mariku looked it calmly. _"Revival Jam." _ It would prove to be useful later down the line along with his 'Jam Defender'.

"_That right, Mariku, take my bait."_ Bakura thought sinisterly, thinking he had the veil of surprise on his side.

"I place 'Lord Poison' in attack mode. Your Gross Ghost is destroyed." Mariku pointed lazily towards Bakura once 'Lord Poison' finished its attack. "Gil Garth, attack his Life Points directly!" 'Gil Garth' slashed at Bakura, a strong force thrusting against the white haired boy.

Lord Poison (1500ATK, 1000DEF)

"Ah!" Bakura called out, shielding his face with his arms while his hair billowed wildly around him.

"My turn has ended."

[**Field Overview:**

Bakura- No monsters.600LP.

Mariku- Two monsters: Gil Garth; Attack Mode (1800ATK, 1200DEF), Lord Poison; attack mode (1500ATK, 1000DEF). One face-down card. 2000LP.]

Bakura smirked internally yet frowned visibly. "Not bad, Mariku." He said simply as he drew his card, glancing over it quickly. "I play 'Headless Knight' in attack mode. I end my turn."

Headless Knight (1450ATK, 1700DEF)

The blonde of the two laughed heartily at the other's _tactics_ and drew a card, believing he had no absolute chance of winning this duel. It was already more than half way over. Bakura's Life Points were falling deliciously low so early in the battle.

"I switch 'Gil Garth' into defense mode and attack with 'Lord Poison'. I put one more face down card to end my turn."

Bakura's 'Headless Knight' dispersed into shattered particles as it was run through with 'Lord Poison's' outstretched claws.

[**Field Overview:**

Bakura- No monsters. 550LP.

Mariku- Two monsters: Gil Garth; Defense Mode (1800ATK, 1200DEF), Lord Poison; Attack Mode (1500ATK, 1000DEF). Two face-down cards. 2000LP.]

"How are you going to get out of this one, Bakura?" Mariku laughed maniacally, truly enjoying the promising defeat of this _"child"_ who thought he stood a chance against the almighty "Mariku".

"Why, whatever will I do? The big, bad Mariku has destroyed three of my monsters. Boo hoo." The white haired boy mocked almost convincingly, sneering at his own mockery before gracing his features with a sly grin. "Prepare yourself, Mariku, for I have just drawn the card that will admit your defeat!"

Bakura held up his card for the other to see before placing it on the field. "I summon the 'Dark Necrofear' in attack mode by removing those three monster cards you destroyed earlier from my graveyard!"

Dark Necrofear (2200ATK, 2800DEF)

Mariku's eyes narrowed. _"So this is what the fool was planning?"_

"Now to end my turn, I place two cards face down." True to his word Bakura placed two cards face down and crossed his arm, waiting patiently for the other to make his move.

"Your monster may be strong but it is no match for 'Giga Gagagigo'." 'Giga Gagagigo' appeared on the field, looming menacingly upon the 'Dark Necrofear' who appeared to be unaffected. "Attack 'Dark Necrofear'!"

Giga Gagagigo (2450ATK, 1500DEF)

Dark Necrofear shattered upon the field as well; taking a chunk out of Bakura's Life Points with it.

"My turn ends." The blonde stated before adding cockily, "Unless you want to admit defeat now. Either way, you'll be sent straight to the Shadow Realm!" He laughed yet again.

[**Field Overview:**

Bakura- No monsters. 300LP.

Mariku- Three Monsters: Gil Garth; Defense Mode (1800ATK, 1200DEF), Lord Poison; Attack Mode (1500ATK, 1000DEF), Giga Gagagigo; Attack Mode (2450ATK, 1500DEF). Two face-down cards. 2000LP]

"Hahahaha! You fool, you have no idea what you just helped me accomplish!"

Mariku raised his eyebrow, not seeing where Bakura was going with this. _"Even if this _plan_ of his succeeds, there's no way he can turn this duel around. He has lost too many Life Points already while I still have the full two-thousand."_ He grinned. "Why don't you enlighten me then, if you're so sure you can turn this around."

"Gladly."

Pulling a card from his hand, Bakura placed it as a field card. Their surroundings steadily changed into a lighter yet none the less menacingly field. All around them eyes and lips watched almost hungrily, seeming to know what was happening. It was as if they were willing the monsters to be destroyed or sacrificed in order to feed off of their energies.

"Behold; Dark Sanctuary!" Bakura spread his arms wide and laughed into the air in excitement, believing he had the cat in the bag already. "Now, Mariku, prepare to witness an evil that may or may not revival even your own." He grinned slyly at his opponent, daring him to make a move against him.

"You fool; you honestly think that will scare me into submission? Unless you haven't noticed, you barely have any Life Points left and no monsters to defend yourself."

"That's true. However, ghosts from 'Dark Sanctuary' are protecting me!"

"In that case, I should put my plan into play now." Mariku went threw his draw phase and then placed his monster on the field. "I summon 'Revival Jam' in defense mode."

Revival Jam (1500ATK, 500DEF)

"Heh, it looks weak to me." Bakura smirked with a small shrug of his shoulders.

[**Field Overview:**

Bakura- No monsters. Dark Sanctuary, Destiny Board. 300LP.

Marik- Four monsters: Gil Garth; Defense Mode (1800ATK, 1200DEF), Lord Poison; Attack Mode (1500ATK, 1000DEF), Giga Gagagigo; Attack Mode (2450ATK, 1500DEF), Revival Jam; Defense Mode (1500ATK, 500DEF). Two face-down cards. 2000LP.]

"Think what you will, now take your turn. Unless those words are just to cover up how frightened you really are? In that case, save us both the trouble and forfeit."

"As you wish." Bakura drew from his deck, placing the card in his hand before selecting another and placing it onto the field. "I summon 'Destiny Board'."

Appearing on the field in a small puff of smoke, a board similar looking to that of an Ouija board was summoned. It hovered large and proud over the field, oozing out a sense of foreboding that neither duelist cared to acknowledge.

"Using this board, the lost souls of the Shadow Realm will spell out a small message for you. Once per turn a letter of the message will be revealed until all five letters are on the field. When the message is revealed, you can say 'goodbye' to me and 'hello' to the Shadow Realm! Now," Bakura stood smugly in front of his opponent, "Let us see what the first letter is."

The dial on the board began to move in a circular fashion until finally landing upon the letter "F".

"That's all well and dandy but," Marik stood casually, looking quite bored and slightly disappointed by Bakura's supposed comeback, "Who says you will get enough turns to spell out that message?"

"Oh, don't you worry about that. I have this all planned out."

Mariku snorted in response but said no more on the matter, opting to watch it unfold instead.

"And now to end my turn." Bakura pulled the middle card from his and placed it in the Magic Field slot. "I play the 'Dark Door'. Now we can each only attack once per turn."

"Splendid." Marik frowned but didn't seem put off by this.

"Now that it has reached my Battle Phase, I summon Lady of Faith and sacrifice her to withhold my 'Dark Sanctuary'."

"I sacrifice 'Gil Garth', 'Lord Poison', and 'Giga Gagagigo' to special summon-"

"Hold it!" Mariku jerked his head towards the new voice which was located behind Bakura. He was shocked that someone else would be able to enter the Shadow Realm with them while their game was in play.

Bakura, the blonde noted in amusement, froze momentarily before thrusting himself from his host. The Millenium Ring automatically vanishing into the fabric of his striped shirt. The host fell to his knees, gasping at being thrust into the harsh environment of the Shadow Game.

"Bakura!" The new voice shouted, running to the white haired boy.

Now that Mariku had a good glimpse of the new voice, he was able to identify its appearance. None other than Yugi Motou kneeled before the white haired boy, offering him assistance in standing.

"Whoever you are, I insist you halt this duel; my friend is weak. Even if he were able to stand on his own feet, I would be forced to stop this. I will not allow my friends to be put in the danger of a Shadow Game!" The short, spiky hair boy demanded, leaving no room to argue. He then used his Millenium Puzzle to disperse the foggy area, leaving Mariku standing in the middle of a crowded hotel lobby.

Mariku's eyes narrowed at having his duel end prematurely. He would defeat the Spirit of the Millenium Ring whether the Pharoah liked it or not.

**Author's Note- I used reference from episode 83 in order to write this chapter. If you look back, you will notice that Bakura's moves are oddly similar to that of episode 83 (Gee, I wonder why? ;P)**

**I assure you there is a reason why I ended their duel before one of them lost. Both characters' still have use in this story. Don't worry, they will duel again in the future. *nods***

**Please tell how you think I did on this chapter! I was nervous to write this at first because I was unsure how to go about the duel, seeing as how I have not played it a day in my life. :sweat: Yet, I survived through it! Hopefully it went as well as I had hoped. See you soon~**


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